


Follow

by graec



Series: odysseus and the sea [1]
Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Fanart, Gen, M/M, Pre-Canon, but something's there, not exactly romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graec/pseuds/graec
Summary: Courier Rudolph D. Shields finds that he's being followed on his way to Hopeville.
Relationships: Courier/Ulysses (Fallout), Male Courier/Ulysses
Series: odysseus and the sea [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887073
Kudos: 20





	Follow

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Some pre-canon writing for m!courier/ulysses which has swallowed my life whole. Nothing serious happens in this but hoohoo.....

Rudolph looks behind him. 

Something - or someone - moves in the distance, seeming to try and stay out of sight. Same direction from the Mojave Express, out of Primm. He was being followed. 

He keeps one hand locked tight around his bag of parcels and another on the magnum at his hip. “Hello!” He calls out. 

No reply. Rudolph’s hair at the back of his neck stands on end; he hated being in cramped spaces. While it wasn’t too crowded here, there were a good chunk of structures that provided cover, either for him or some would-be attackers. Good hiding spots, too. In his head, he counts the dynamite sticks in his pack and wonders how much it would take to come out on top.

“Come on out. If you’re lookin’ for a fight, best get it on with. I’m armed.”

A hand waves out from what was once the wall of a building. Rudolph keeps a tight grip on his gun as a silhouette appears. With the sun in his eyes, he can’t exactly see who it is. But whoever they are, he can see that they’re holding both hands up as they approach. Not armed? Or maybe playing the fool, pretending? 

But as soon as the person draws closer and their visage becomes more clear, Rudolph’s shooting-hand drops with surprise. 

“Hey, you’re one of the couriers,” he says as the man becomes visible in the low light. Rudolph’s seen him before; not easy to forget a man like that, who wore his dark hair in intricate braids and had odd scars on his muscular arms. _A tribal_ , the voice of his mother corrects for him. But this one was far out into civilization if that was the case. 

The man is quiet, though his brow is set in a hard furrow that makes it hard for Rudolph to tell if he was truly hostile or not. But his hands fall once Rudolph’s does and he stands a good few feet away from him. 

“Sorry ‘bout that. Gotta be careful when I got this many packages, y’know. You’re one of Nash’s, right? Mojave Express?”

The man nods, and when he speaks, his voice is a deep rumble that was like two grinding stones. “Truth in that, yes. Just like you, delivering supplies to Hopeville and Ashton.” He looks down at the bag around his side, looped over his shoulder. Rudolph sees it, almost bursting with parcels just like his own. “Place needs more, sends two couriers instead. More work being done, in that way.”

_What a strange way of talking_ , Rudolph thinks, but keeps it to himself. “Huh. So I’m guessing we’re walkin’ towards the same place, yeah? I mean, the Express office in Hopeville.”

The man nods, his braids flowing with the movement. Rudolph watches them, entranced for a moment, before turning back to the road. 

“Welp, best not to disappoint the folks. Sorry again for the hostility. Didya wanna walk together, err....”

“...Ulysses. See nothing wrong with it, in... walking together. Can make the delivery twofold.”

“Ulysses, huh? Good name! I’m Rudolph, Rudolph D. Shields. You know the story of the Odyssey, right?” He begins walking, and the Ulysses fellow falls right into stride. Seems like this one’s walked lots of roads, just like him. “That’s the only instance I’ve ever heard of a name like that.”

“Read a fraction of it from books, nothing more.”

“Well, if you’re lookin’ for a good story for the road, I can tell you what I know of it on the way. I got a copy on me, y’see, good bit too. Pages intact.”

He turns and sees Ulysses’ face. His expression is stoic, his jaw set and his mouth a hard line, but his brows weren’t so angry anymore and his eyes seemed a bit softer. Looks like this fellow wasn’t one who relaxed so much. 

Normally, he wouldn’t be sharing descriptions about his personal belongings, but there was something about Ulysses that made Rudolph want to prod. He certainly had an air of mystery about him, but there was an unshakable aura of wisdom and experience in the way he carried himself. Rudolph found that he very much wanted to know more about this person, but wasn’t that the truth everywhere else? He’s met plenty of strange and interesting folks on the road, all of whom he’s shaken hands with. He hoped he’d be able to shake this one’s hand, too. 

Ulysses nods, and was that a twinkle in his eye? Emboldened, Rudolph begins his rendition of the Odyssey, starting with Odysseus held captive by a beautiful nymph on a distant island....

* * *

“...and then, he comes in dressed up as an old man. See, all these years later, and those damned suitors are still trying to win over poor Penelope’s heart. But you remember that all those years, Penelope’s been loyal and hasn’t ever lost her hope. These last few nights are a real kicker, since she’s gotten to tricking the suitors and only a few folks know, so she’s on a real tight rope now. It’s nearing the end. But Odysseus comes in soon, still an old man and - hey, we’re here!”

Rudolph stops at the beginning of the road. He sees the distant lights of the settlements further down. They’ve passed people along the way, mostly travelers or caravans that grew less as the sun went down, most of them coming to settle down here in Hopeville for the night. The wind was howling all around them, whipping Rudolph's hair to and fro, but it was gentler than usual tonight. A good evening for the Divide.

He picks up the pace again. “So anyway, as I was saying...” and he turns to look at Ulysses, but he finds the man standing still, staring at those distant lights with an awed expression that reminds Rudolph of starry-eyed gamblers back in New Reno. 

Rudolph moseys up to him. “Hey, you alright?” He reaches out to him, aiming to put a hand on his broad shoulder. “You’re lookin’ quite happy.”

Ulysses blinks, seems to snap out of his reverie, and takes a jerky step back before Rudolph can touch him. Rudolph leans away quickly and holds a hand up. “Woah, sorry, didn’t mean anything bad. Something up?”

The man’s eyes shift between his offending hand and his face, that hard look back on his features. Just when Rudolph’s wondering if he’s done something truly awful, Ulysses exhales quietly, something that’s not quite a sigh. He looks back at the road, to the lights. 

“Nothing.”

Rudolph nods, not wanting to push. “Sorry. Let’s get going, yeah?”

They fall back into line, a silence growing in between them. Rudolph hopes it’s not an awkward one for Ulysses, but it seems that he was accustomed to silence. Rudolph was, too - you only had so much to entertain yourself when you were alone on the road - but it was different when there were two people traveling together instead of one. 

“Say, you think you’ll be doing more runs to Hopeville and Ashton in the near future?” Rudolph asks, looking over at Ulysses. The man stares straight ahead as they draw closer to the town, the only indication that he was listening being the way his head lifts a little. “To here, I mean.”

“Have a place here,” Ulysses says. 

“Oh, you actually live here? A home and everything?”

“Yes,” he says, and his voice grows a little quieter. “A... home.”

“Whew, sounds nice. Makes me wonder why we haven’t brushed shoulders more often. I’ll take that as a yes then? Taking packages from Nash and up to here?”

“Not always, or as often as what _I_ would want. But yes, sometimes the road takes me back when it allows.”

They eventually come to stop outside of the express office of Hopeville, at the outskirts of the town. Rudolph recognizes a few faces of other couriers who come and go, some of whom tip a hat his way. He does the same. 

“Hey, looks like it’s crowded in there. Want me to take your packages in there, too?”

“No need. Can do it myself.”

“Alright, just wondering.”

Wading through the bodies of other townsfolk and couriers, the two of them eventually drop off their packages. Before Ulysses can turn out the door, Rudolph stops him. 

“Hey, wait up, Ulysses! I got some things to pick up, but I have something for you. Wait outside for me.”

He doesn’t hear Ulysses’ reply, but when he comes back out of the office, he doesn’t see him in the building. Hefting new packages, he takes a step out into the crisp, night air and looks around for his companion. 

He sees someone waving, and there, beneath a streetlight, Ulysses leans against its pole as a lone shadow. Rudolph crosses the distance between them quickly, digging into his personal pack. 

“Just wanted to say, since you live here and you’ll be comin’ around and all, I wanted to give you this.”

Ulysses raises an eyebrow. His hand feels around his pack, touching several of his own belongings, until his fingers find the familiar texture of the torn, leather-backed cover. He counts the bindings he had to stitch in himself, and it reaffirms what he thinks it is. He pulls it out and hands it to Ulysses. 

The man stares at it dubiously, but he eventually takes it with both hands. 

“This is...” his eyes widen, just a fraction, as he reads the cover. _The Odyssey_. 

Rudolph chuckles and scratches the back of his warming neck. “Yeah. My words ain’t the best when it comes to retelling stories. Thought you’d like the real thing, since you were listening quite intensely on the road. Mind you, I’m expecting it back sometime when I come around and you’re all finished with it. Sound good?”

Ulysses nods quickly, and when he speaks, his voice is a tad hoarser. “Yes. Of course. Thank you, Rudolph.”

The courier tries not to shiver, but damn, his name sounded good coming from a deep voice like that. He’s happy the lighting isn’t too bright, or else Ulysses might see the flush he feels spreading on his face. 

Without really thinking, since his brain seemed to be doing little cartwheels all of a sudden, he holds a hand out for a shake. “Was real nice to meet you, Ulysses. Let’s hope for next time, yeah?”

And to his great surprise, Ulysses takes his hand and gives it a firm shake. His touch is hot against his palm, his fingers thick and calloused with scars and bumps, similar to Rudolph’s. 

Feeling like his grin would split his face, Rudolph turns back to the road and the growing dark. Not the first time he’s been on a night delivery, even if the road wasn't a simple one, but he could make several stops along the way. Several caravans heading up and down the path made that easy; he could trade for the food he would need, and he's squatted in worse canyons before.

He turns and sees the distant figure of Ulysses facing what he hopes is his direction, and despite the packages hanging off of him, Rudolph’s step feels lighter than the last as he looks back up the road and makes his way out of Hopeville.

**Author's Note:**

> Art by me :)
> 
> I draw more garbage on my instagram, @_graec ! Someone please take Ulysses away from me


End file.
